Bengaluru needs 600 km of storm-water infrastructure at an investment of ₹2,800 cr: report

Bengaluru needs an immediate storm-water drainage masterplan and remedial measures to curb urban flooding as a rising population and changing topography are heavily impacting the drainage system of the city, recommended Knight Frank India, an international property consultancy.

Bengaluru needs an immediate storm-water drainage masterplan and remedial measures to curb urban flooding as a rising population and changing topography are heavily impacting the drainage system of the city, recommended Knight Frank India, an international property consultancy.

The city required an additional length of more than 600 km of storm-water infrastructure, which would require remodelling and expansion of its existing storm-water infrastructure at an estimated cost of ₹ 2,800 crore, it said in a report.

The city currently has 842 km of primary and secondary drains, and to complement the spatial expansion, the city broadly requires an addition of approximately 658 km of primary and secondary drains.

The report further said that Bengaluru’s population was likely to reach 18 million by 2031, thus, it becomes doubly necessary for the real estate and infrastructure to be adequately developed to be able to absorb the population influx. Due to population growth, the land use dynamics of the city have significantly changed, and as a result, the share of the built-up area of Bengaluru has increased from 37.4% in 2002 to 93.3% in 2020, which means most land in the city has been already used for construction.

As a result of rapid and unplanned development, the infrastructure supporting the natural ecosystem of Bengaluru, especially the stormwater drainage system, has come under severe stress, as per Knight Frank.

The report further said the unplanned development damaged the city’s storm-water infrastructure, which in turn led to the flooding of the area during instances of heavy rainfall. So, there needed to be a greater emphasis on the cohesive development of real estate and strengthening of the support infrastructure without causing further damage to the ecosystem of the city, it added.

Shishir Baijal, Chairman & Managing Director, Knight Frank India, said, “Developing a comprehensive stormwater master plan and adopting alternative flood control techniques are crucial for Bengaluru. A master plan should be developed with the involvement of experts, urban planners, environmentalists, and stakeholders to ensure its effectiveness and feasibility. In addition, alternate flood controlling techniques also should be deployed to enhance the city’s ability to manage stormwater effectively.’‘